Refrigerator



Oct. 31, 1933.

c. F. BELSHAW 1,933,042

REFRIGERATOR Filed May 29, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTOR Y C. F. BELSHAW REFRIGERATOR Oct. 31, 1933.

Filed May 2 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m v 7 Z a P; fly 4.

INVENTOR 5%, yww fifi? Patented Oct. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerators using small pieces of ice and the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a refrigerator having means for the better utilization of broken, crushed, cracked, or small commercial size ice cuts; second, to provide a refrigerator having means for permitting easy removal of table ice from the front of the refrigerator; third, to provide a refrigerator havw ing means for restraining ice from falling through an ice opening; fourth, to provide a refrigerator in combination with the above more readily adaptable for the servicing of ice from some side other than the front; and fifth, to provide a refrigerator having means'for securing greater utilization of therefrigerated space.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illusrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a partial sectional view of a re- 2e frigerator disclosing my invention installed as a top-icer design arranged for servicing through the top, said view being taken on the line 1-1, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a sectional view of said refrigerator taken on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig.

3, a partial sectional view of a refrigerator disclosing my invention installed as an overheadicer design arranged for servicing from the rear,

said view being taken on the line 33, Fig. 4;

Fig. 4, a sectional view of the refrigerator taken on the line, 44, Fig. 3; Fig. 5, an enlarged partial view of the front of the ice basket disclosing the opening for the removal of table ice together with the means for restraining ice from falling through said opening; Fig. 6, a sectional view taken on thg line 66, Fig. 5; and Fig. '7,

an isometric view of the means for securing greater utilization of the refrigerated space. 7

Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 disclose sectional views of typical types of refrigerators in which the insulation 1 is encased between an outer shell 2 and an inner shell 3. Figs. 1 and 2 disclose a top-icer design of a refrigerator arranged for servicing through the insulated top of the refrigerator. Figs. 3 and 4 disclose an overheadicer design of a refrigerator arranged for servicing through the back of the refrigerator. It is ev! dent that either of these arrangements might ,readily be modified and used as side-icer types. 'In these types of refrigerators, the ice container unit isusually placed overhead and some distance above the floor of the refrigerator, the ice container containing a supply of ice which produces refrigeration for the balance of space within the inner shell 3, said balance of space being used as the food storage space. The ice container or basket assembly 4 is provided with hanger members 5 which are suitably connected to the ice container assembly 4 and also the top Wall by the hanger bolts 6. The ice container or basket assembly 4, is constructed with the frame member 7 which may extend around the entire top and, if desired, down the sides. The ice container or basket assembly 4 is further reinforced around the bottom by a similar frame member 9.

The ice rack 10 may be constructed as a stamping froma single sheet of metal securing a reinforced slatted or bar type construction at a. single operation by means of the depressed openings as at 11. The ice rack construction, permits (0 a maximum of air movement down through the ice rack 10 and at the same time, by the spacing centers used, controls the extent to which ice will melt through the ice rack 10 and allows a construction with the complete elimination of fabricated joints or crevices to hamper the tinning or other corrosion preventive processes involved and results in a more sanitary and readily cleaned piece of equipment. Completely encircling the exterior perimeter of the lower edge of the basket assembly 4 and adjacent its lower reenforcing member 9 is employed a metal flange 12 normally of right angular cross-section having an outwardly turned top edge or lip 13 and a downwardly turned lower edge or lip 14. The object of employing this flange with its lip projections is to collect ice drippage from a rela' tively larger area than a cross-section of the basket itself and return it to a drip pan having materially smaller area than the area covered by the basket for the primary purpose of securing greater freedom of air circulation through the increased space around the drip pan 15 and inducing an increased amount of air to enter the basket assembly 4 in contact with the ice. The flange 12 is arranged to engage snuglywith the exterior surface of basket assembly 4 and is customarily attached and suspended by through bolts and suitable washers engaging through the wire mesh of the basket as at 16 or if desired may be suspended from the reinforcing member 9 of the basket assembly 4.

Attached to the exterior of the flange 12 are straps 17 suitably formed for suspending and spacing the drip pan 15 under the downwardly turned lip 14 of the flange 12 and further providing for the necessary pitch, as disclosed in Figs. 2 and 4 for draining the ice water drippage from the inner surface of the drip pan 15. The drip pan 15 consists essentially of a metallic no top surface 18 with a raised lip or edge 19 extending around its perimeter as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. If desired, the drip pan 15 may be constructed with an insulating board over the bottom of the drip pan 15 to prevent condensation and drippage or it may employ an insulating material encased in a secondary bottom metallic shell or may be composed of two metallic shells so spaced as to secure an air space between the metal shells. In any or all designs, the drip pan 15 would be provided with a drain outlet tube 20, which may be integrally fastened to said drip pan 15. Employed in connection with the drain removal device of the drip pan 15, through its drain connection 20, any standard and common type of drain tube and trap 21 may be employed.

The above type of ice rack, angular drain member, and drip pan are of the design disclosed in my United States patent application, Serial No. 407,739, filed on Nov. 16, 1929.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the refrigerator is provided with the typical door' or rectangular lid 22. However this lid 22 may be made of circular or other shapes if desired. Also, if desired, the opening, covered by the lid 22, may be permanently connected by means of an insulated chute (not shown) to an outside ice supply. Also this type of construction may be utilized in conjunction with a conventional side-icer type of refrigrator.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the refrigerator is provided with a service opening in which fits a rectangular, round, or other convenient shaped lid 23. Also, if desired, the opening, covered by the lid 23, may be permanently connected by means of an insulated chute (not shown) to an outside ice supply. To facilitate the icing of the refrigerator, the service side of the basket may be partially cut away or entirely omitted as indicated at 24, Fig. 4. Also the design disclosed in Figs. 3 and 4 as being adapted for servicing through the rear wall could, with equal facility, be adapted for servicing through the right or left sides. Also the ice container, if desired, could be arranged as a side-icer type and similarly served.

The use of the ice container or basket assembly 4 is especially adapted for the better utilization of broken, cracked, crushed, or small sized commercial ice cuts and is further adapted to the above described type of refrigerators designed for the servicing of ice from other than the front side of the refrigerator. However with such types of refrigerators which are serviced from or through other than the front side, it is necessary to provide a suitable means whereby a supply of table ice may be secured from the front of the refrigerator as desired. Also with such a design, a suitable means for restraining the ice from falling out of the front of the ice container of basket assembly 4 must be provided.

In Figs. 5 and 6 are disclosed fractional views of the ice container or basket assembly 4, which disclose the opening 25 as constructed in the front wall of the ice container 4, thus providing for the ready removal of table ice in any desired quantities.

AlsoFigs. 5 and 6 disclose a typical installation of the deflector 26 which effectually restrains the ice in its position within the ice container during the icing operation and also when the refrigerator is used in the regularway.

The deflector 26 may be constructed of any suitable plate material or, if desired, it may be constructed of a frame work and mesh material similar to that disclosed in the ice container 4. The deflector 26 may be suitably fastened to the ice container 4 by means of the bolts 27. It is to be noted that the deflector 26 is constructed with an angular shape which partially covers the opening 25 and at the same time leaves sufficient opening through which a supply of table ice can be removed through the opening 25 when the door 28 of the refrigerator is open. Also it is to be understood that in the very smallest sizes of ice containers or basket assemblies 4, the whole front of the ice container or basket assembly 4 may be cut away or omitted, a deflector 26 only being utilized to keep the ice supply, as indicated at 29, Fig. 2, from falling through the front opening 25.

This is necessary as in the standard sizes and types of refrigerators, an excessively large opening would tend to allow the ice to fall through the front opening 25 to the floor of the refrigerator. In refrigerators, as above described, and especially in the small domestic refrigerators of the top icer" designs, it is necessary to provide suflicient headroom in the storage space for receiving tall receptacles such as the quart milk bottles as indicated at 30, without involving much waste of valuable storage space over the entire area devoted to the use of the shelves 31. In the usual type of refrigerators, the shelves 31 are suitably supported from the side walls of the refrigerator, one or more being spaced to provide room for tall receptacles over the entire floor area of the food compartment. Frequently, one of the shelves 31 has been cut away, omitted, or off set, the shelves having been materially weakened and, by their shape, have inconvenienced the user in the placing and removal of the refrigerated goods. Fig. '7 discloses a shelf 32 for use in my refrigerator, which in itself has greater structural strength than the plain full shelves of the same cross-sectional material. One end of the shelf 32 may be supported, in the usual way, on suitable hooks or lugs 33 attached to the side walls of the refrigerator or suitable framework while the free end 34 is supported from the next lower shelf as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 or it may be supported on the floor of the refrigerator when used as the bottom shelf as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It is to be noted that the frame work forming the free end 34 of the shelf 32 is constructed with a greater width or spread at its lower or bottom side to insure a more stable and secure bearing and to prevent tilting when the free end 34 is supported on a lower shelf having cross bars 38 or their equivalent extending parallel to the bearing edge of the free end 34. The design may be suitably varied in special installations to look more securely to the next lower'shelf.

The shelf 32 may be provided with the guard 35 at the open end and may, if desired, be constructed of one or more loops of mesh material or it may be constructed of sheet metal suitably fastened to the shelf proper.

The use of the shelf 32 thus allows for the placing of the milk bottles 30 at the rear of the refrigerated space, which in many designs of refrigerators is maintained at a temperature often from 5 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the space at the front of the refrigerated space.

The refrigerators are disclosed as being supported by the legs 36 on the floor line 37. It

is to be noted that the member 39 in Fig. 2 and the member 40 in Fig. 4 are used to guide the supply of ice into the basket assembly 4.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator, the combination of a removable ice container being provided with an opening in its front wall, said removable ice container being further provided with an opening in one of its remaining walls, means for guiding ice through said last mentioned opening into said removable ice container, removable closure means in said refrigerator adjacent said last mentioned means, and fixed means partially covering said first mentioned opening in said removable ice container.

2. In a refrigerator, the combination of an ice container provided with an opening for the replenishment of the ice, said ice container being further provided with an opening for the removal of ice, and a member for partially restricting the opening in said ice container for the removal of ice, said member extending between body provided with an opening through its top wall and a doored opening in one vertical wall, of an ice-container having an open top arranged within said body beneath the upper opening of the main body, said container having an apertured vertical wall immediately adjacent the dooredopening, and a downwardly and inwardly extending guard-plate associated with the upper side of said aperture. 4

CHARLES F. BELSHAW. 

